Karur stampede: SC reserves order amid allegations of police negligence, political bias

The Supreme Court on Friday (October 10) reserved its orders in a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the tragic stampede at a political event of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Karur in central Tamil Nadu on September 27, which claimed 41 lives, including allegations of hasty post-mortems and selective permissions granted to rival parties.

Justice J Maheshwari remarked, “We will see what orders we can pass,” as the bench expressed dismay over the Madras High Court’s handling of the matter and the state’s rapid cremations without proper protocol.

Also read: Why Vijay's TVK opposes state-run SIT probe into Karur stampede

Cops' negligence?

In a heated hearing, the petitioners accused the Tamil Nadu Police of gross negligence and political favouritism in the deadly crowd surge during the rally, which was addressed by TVK chief Vijay, while the state defended its actions as a response to an unforeseen swell in attendance.

The bench, led by Justice Maheshwari, scrutinised the timeline of events — from permission grants to midnight post-mortems — and reserved the judgment following sharp exchanges between advocates.

Also read: TN curbs political rallies after Karur tragedy, makes organisers liable for fatalities

The case stems from the September 27 incident at a narrow venue in Karur, where thousands gathered to hear the actor-turned-politician. What began as a permitted assembly of 10,000 ballooned into a chaotic crush, exacerbated by dehydration and a sudden water-throwing episode that sparked panic. Forty-one people, including women and children, lost their lives in the ensuing stampede, with one petitioner — the grieving husband of a deceased attendee — demanding accountability.

'Tragedy waiting to happen'

A senior advocate, who appeared on behalf of a 13-year-old victim, argued that red flags were ignored well in advance.

“Even before the meeting could commence, at 3:15 in the afternoon, officers of the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) said there is going to be a serious event that is going to take place,” he told the court, reading from reports warning of a potential tragedy.

He also highlighted a social media post by a DMK affiliate predicting a “tragedy waiting to happen”, noting the presence of former state minister V Senthil Balaji's associates at the scene.

Also read: Vijay’s bus driver booked for accidents on way to Karur before stampede

The advocate stressed that they were not ordinary people and the police were watching.

The counsel further alleged sabotage. It was said that an ambulance without a number plate and water bottles with Senthil Balaji's name were allowed within the crowd.

TN govt defends Senthil Balaji

Dismissing the petitioners' specific references to Senthil Balaji as baseless, the Tamil Nadu government categorically stated that the arguments levelled against him were entirely fabricated and lacked any supporting evidence.

State counsel P Wilson emphasised that such claims were imaginative concoctions without substantiation, urging the court to disregard them claiming they undermined the probe’s integrity.

The court clarified, “We are not cognisant of that.”

Also read: TVK leaders abandoned victims, showed no remorse: Madras High Court

Wilson dismissed the claims of throwing shoes at Vijay and lathi charge as under investigation and promised a detailed affidavit on the allegations.

The petitioner’s counsel also questioned the fairness of the state’s internal probe, pointing to the rushed timeline— incident at 7:30 pm, victims rushed to hospitals by 9-10 pm, post-mortems starting at 10:30 pm, and cremations by 4 am.

“The state conducted a post-mortem late at night, and it is unclear how suddenly the doctors appeared,” he said, calling the state's one-man commission as a sham formed even before notification.

Justice Maheshwari interjected: “Where did you allege the post-mortem was conducted late at night?”

The advocate clarified, adding that a writ petition was filed on September 30 at 12:35 pm, followed by a representation to authorities at 12:56 pm — yet the state issued orders at 4 pm on October 3, before even receiving it. “Everything is engineered,” he claimed.

Charges of political bias

Allegations of political bias intensified when the advocate revealed discrepancies in permissions. The rival AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) was denied space, citing “narrow venue”, while the TVK was granted access in September.

Also read: 'In Karur, Vijay failed as a political entrepreneur': Political analyst Peer Mohammed

“If it’s going to be crowded for AIADMK, it should have been crowded for TVK. My humble submission is, the entire fault lies with the state police,” he urged.

The bench voiced frustration with the Madras High Court’s approach.

“This is not a case of rights of two parties; there should not be any politics,” Justice Maheshwari observed.

He questioned why permissions were granted on September 27 despite a pending standard operating procedure (SoP) for rallies. “The HC is going to this? Prayer was to formulate the SoP. The HC is, the SoP is pending, we will not consider this, and we will consider something else.”

Wilson countered, reading from judgments and clarifying logistics. He explained that 220 doctors and 165 nurses from nearby districts were mobilised for post-mortems, approved by the collector after the chief minister’s intervention from Karur.

Also read: Stalin slams BJP team's Karur visit: 'Why no panel for Manipur or Kumbh stampede?'

“Usually, the post-mortem is from 6 am to 6 pm... Nearby districts, all doctors were called,” he said.

On crowd control, he noted only 606 police personnel were deployed against an estimated 10,000, but the actor's fame led to swelling numbers.

Vijay blamed for massive delay

In a pointed attack on TVK chief Vijay during the hearing, Wilson argued that the TVK chief arrived nearly seven hours late compared to the assured schedule, leading to the crowd growing uncontrollably in the sweltering heat.

“Many had already started fainting even before he arrived,” Wilson submitted, emphasising that the gathering had spiraled out of control by the time Vijay reached the venue at around 7 pm.

Also read: Hema Malini-led NDA delegation to visit Karur; 'to look into circumstances that caused stampede'

He further contended that Vijay proceeded to the stage only after issuing warnings to the crowd not to enter the restricted area, countering claims of negligence on the leader’s part.

“The inquiry is ongoing into how the crowd gathered and how the jostling unfolded,” Wilson stated, urging the bench to await the findings before entertaining calls for a CBI takeover.

“When he came at 7, they were already dehydrated, and they started collapsing. One person said I will bring it to the notice of the leader and he started throwing water bottles, which people started collecting,” he added.

Also read: Karur stampede: Leaders avoid directly blaming Vijay

The petitioner rebutted, “None of the police officers were injured, and they were safe and sound.”

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the state, quipped, “Police officers are not injured, so kindly transfer to CBI? Please note Balaji's grounds — these are absurd.”

The court clarified, “We are not cognisant of that.”

The TVK side amplified these concerns by critiquing the Madras High Court's single-judge proceedings. They argued that it was improper for the single judge to take up and hear the related case independently.

Also read: Karur Stampede: Chidambaram says ‘errors on all sides’

Moreover, the judge’s open and accusatory remarks directly targeting Vijay's conduct were deemed erroneous and inappropriate. On his departure from the Karur venue, the TVK's counsel contended that he left only after the police instructed him to evacuate immediately for safety reasons — thus, the court's criticism questioning "why Vijay left" was unfounded and mischaracterised the sequence of events.

Compounding these issues, the TVK asserted that the high court's order to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident was issued without seeking any input or information from their side, rendering it a violation of natural justice principles.

TVK opposed to SIT composition

While agreeing that an SIT should be formed for a thorough investigation, the TVK objected to its composition, noting that the nominated officials were all from the Tamil Nadu government, raising concerns over impartiality and potential bias.

“There is no disagreement on forming an SIT for full investigation, but the appointed officers are state government personnel, so we cannot concur,” the counsel submitted.

The state counsel strongly countered the petitioners' concerns over the SIT by clarifying that it was the Madras High Court and not the Tamil Nadu government that directly appointed the team to probe the stampede.

Also read: Karur stampede: NCSC team visits victims' families, recommends govt jobs for kin

He emphasised that the court's order for the SIT's formation came without any prior state interference, underscoring the judiciary's independent role in ensuring a fair and thorough inquiry into the fatal incident.

Wilson urged the Supreme Court to recognise this judicial oversight as a safeguard against bias, dismissing claims of government favouritism as unfounded and arguing that the SIT's composition —drawn from state officials but under court mandate — upheld impartiality while leveraging local expertise for a swift resolution.